The former Second Lady of the United States and the first Latina to serve on the Superior Court of Ventura County will receive honorary doctorates at CSU Channel Islands graduation ceremony on Saturday.\

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Michele Marie Castillo will receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws and Former Second Lady Mary Elizabeth “Tipper” Gore will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters for their work in their respective fields, according to a news release from the university.

“It is a true honor to recognize and celebrate the achievements of both of these highly accomplished and inspirational women.”

CSUCI President Erika Beck

CSUCI President Erika Beck will present Castillo with the honor during the morning ceremony that begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and Gore will receive her doctorate during the afternoon ceremony at 3 p.m. on the campus at 1 University Drive in Camarillo.

Gore is most widely known for her role as Second Lady from 1993 to 2001 and Castillo is the first Latina to serve on the bench in Ventura County.

“It is a true honor to recognize and celebrate the achievements of both of these highly accomplished and inspirational women,” Beck said in a news release. “They both have led remarkable lives that serve as examples of the aspirations Cal State Channel Islands holds for our diverse student population.”

Gore, who lives in Santa Barbara, hasn't had a longstanding relationship with the Camarillo university, but when she learned of the CSU Channel Islands' dedication to providing a quality education to those who may not have considered college before, she offered her support, according to the university.

“I really have a feeling of affinity and want to help the university. I saw the diversity of the student body and got a sense of the campus and I thought ‘This is what education is all about’,” Gore said in a written statement. “It speaks to my values and what this country represents.”

Gore grew up in Arlington, Virginia, with a passion for photography and music. She worked as a freelance photographer with the Nashville-based newspaper, The Tennessean.

Gore has often used her photography skills for books designed to shed light on social justice issues, with mental health front and center, serving as the mental health policy adviser to President Bill Clinton when her husband Al Gore was vice president. The Gores separated in 2010.

Gore earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Boston University and later earned a master’s degree in psychology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. She said her grandmother taught her to “take education very, very seriously because it’s the one thing no one can take away from you,” she said.

Castillo was raised in Ventura County where her father struggled with addiction and her mother gave birth to her when she was 16.

“It actually forced me to grow up a little faster,” Castillo said in a written statement. “In addition to that, homework was my escape. It forced me to retreat to my room and concentrate on my studies.”

Castillo was excited to enter high school in Ventura — but a talk with her counselor at the time about coursework and her future demonstrated it wouldn't be easy.

“I said ‘I want to take honors this and honors that,’ and he said ‘Why do you want to take those classes? Don’t you think you’d be better in home economics? Or remedial math?’ ” Castillo said.

Through it all, a book on Martin Luther King, Jr., which she bought for $1.50 in second grade inspired her to succeed in school and enter a life of public service and social justice, according to the release.

Castillo took college classes at UC Santa Barbara and Stanford University while still in high school, then went on to earn double Bachelor of Arts degrees from UCLA and a law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

She also earned a certificate in International Human Rights Law/International Rights of Women from Oxford University in England. She served as a superior court commissioner in Ventura County and as a deputy public defender in Ventura and Fresno counties. In 2016, she became the first Latina Superior Court Judge in Ventura County.

Castillo is enthusiastic about CSUCI’s mission to help all students realize their potential — regardless of circumstances or socioeconomic status.

“I know the university is very involved in accepting first-generation students,” Castillo said in the release. “These are typically kids who have not necessarily had role models or access to higher education.”

A record 2,513 students will be eligible to graduate from CSU Channel Islands Saturday, including 2,283 who have earned bachelor's degrees.